Ecology and Connection Set 3

lithosphere

the earth's crust and upper mantle

troposphere

extends about seventeen kilometers above sea level, but contains most of the planets air, nitrogen and oxygen, where weather occurs

stratosphere

stretching seventeen to forty eight kilometers above the earth's surface, its lower portion contains enough ozone to filter out most of the harmful uv radiation from the sun, allowing life to exist on the surface of the earth and in bodies of water

hydrosphere

the earth's liquid water, both surface and ground, ice (polar ice, icebergs, ice in permafrost) and water vapor in the atmosphere

closed system

energy but not matter is exchanged between the system and its environment

open system

both matter and energy are exchanged between the system and the environment

the natural green house effect

without this atmospheric thermal blanket earth would be as cold as mars and life would not exist, the green house effect is when green house gases like CO2 get trapped in the atmosphere and keep radiation from the sun in the atmosphere, thus warming the planet

nutrients

any atom, ion, or molecule, an organism needs to live, grow, or reproduce

macronutrients

needed in fairly large amounts

micronutrients

needed in small or trace amounts